In a Photolithography process which is one of steps of manufacturing process for semi-conductor, a resist coating device (coater) for coating photosensitive agent (photoresist) on a substrate (article) such as wafer and glass plate, an exposure device (stepper) for forming a latent image of a pattern by transferring the pattern of a reticle (mask) onto a substrate on which said photosensitive agent is coated, and a developing device (developer) for developing the latent image formed on the substrate and the like are used. For transferring a substrate between the resist coating device and the exposure device, and between the exposure device and the developing device, there is a device to perform the transfer substrates in batches by using a substrate carrier (substrate cassette) which is available to store plurality of substrate, or a device which transfers the substrates between the substrate carrier and the resist coating device arranged by the exposure device which is used with combination of the substrate carrier or is used individually (inlined). The resist coated substrate is stored in the substrate carrier or individually loaded to a predetermined loading position of the substrate transferring device, and is transferred to a predetermined delivering position (loading position) for delivering to an exposure main body (substrate stage) by the substrate transferring device.
On the other hand, an exposure finished substrate is delivered at a predetermined delivering point (loading point) for receiving the substrate from the exposure main body, and the substrate is transferred by the substrate transferring machine, and is stored to the substrate carrier, or a loaded to a next exposure device individually.
Although various of devices as a substrate transferring machine have been known, for example, an articulated robot having an arm portion to move the substrate with negative absorption, there provided a loading arm and unloading arms having both slider to perform linear movement, performing reciprocation between the loading position for delivering with a substrate stage of the exposure main body portion or the unloading position and a hoop position or C/D delivering position, respectively. The delivering points (loading position, unloading position) between the substrate transferring device and the exposure main body portion are arranged hierarchically in horizontal direction (here, defining the unloading position is lower side and the loading position is upper side). The delivering between the loading arm or the unloading arm and the substrate stage is performed through a vertically moving means which is movable for positioning horizontally provided with the substrate stage (center table). Namely, the substrate loading and unloading to the substrate stage is performed with a status that the substrate stage is positioned at same a position, conventionally.
However, in case that the loading position and unloading position to perform loading/unloading the substrate to the substrate stage, are arranged hierarchically in horizontal (Z-direction), stroke of the vertically moving means becomes large necessarily, because a driving speed of vertically moving means is not so fast generally, a required for loading/unloading substrate becomes long time, there is a case to prevent treating acceleration. Additionally, after the substrate is delivered from the vertically moving member to the unloading arm, it is necessary to operate a further lifting operation of the vertically moving member for receiving the substrate from the loading arm after the unloading arm retracts from the unloading position which inhibits the treating acceleration too.